Signaling device.



D. G. MoLEAN.

SIGNALING DEVICE. APPLICATION mum mud, 1912.

1 l 1 3,673. Patented Oct. 13,1914

2 EHEETSSHEET 1.

D. G. MOLEAN.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1912.

1,1 1 3,673. Patented Oct.13,1914

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WZYnesses. jnyenlzar'.

' E mi) 74 EM UNITED s A s PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD G. MOLEAN, F BosToN, :MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To THE RANDALL-FAICHNEY COMPANY, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,"A eoRPoRATIoN on MASSA-CHUSETTS.

SIGNALING fDEVICE Specification of Letters Patent. Pat t t, 13 1914 n iiicatioii'fiiea'iin 2, 1912. Serial mama. I

. of which the following-visa specification,

reference being had therein to the accom; panying drawings. 1 z; ,Thisinvention relates to signaling-devices and more particularly tothatjclass of signaling devices which are sounded by;the exhaust gasfrom an engine. a i

The object of the invention is to provide means ,by which the signalingdevice ,may be rendered operative from'a distant point Withoutiimpeding.the-free usei for other purposes of thehands or feet of the operator. HIn accordance with this object one feature of the invention contemplatesthe provision of electrical connections betweenthe device and the pointofoperation thereof, which connections preferably comprise a push buttonnear the operator and a motor having its movable member connected withthe movable part of the device which is operated to cause the exhaustgas to sound an alarm.

Another feature of the invention comprises means in a signaling deviceof the character described for automatically re ducing the currentsupplied to the motor after the moving part of the device has beenthrown into operative position.

In the best form at present known to the inventor, the motor consists ofa solenoid mobile; F ig. 2 is a detail view .of the solenoidwhichprovides the motive power to render the vsignal operative; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section through the center of the solenoid, and Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic view of the-electrical connections.

\ The signaling device may comprise, any of; the well; known horns;;which are operated by the engine exhaust, such, for instance, 'as,,-that -.shownin the drawings, where a hornel is attached to an? exhaustpipel 2 ;leading; ,-'from a muffler 3- into which the ,engine idischarges the burned gas through a; pipe .4.;;-,-In the type of .hornshown, agate 5 is normally held open by a springfi which allows the Ugasto escape from the exhaustto the, atmosphere Without soundingthe born,but- ;when :the gate is closed, the exhaust gas is deflected toward alip. 7 which causes ,an audible alarm to sound. As at presentconstructed, this horn is thrown into operation by a cord connecting thegate 5 with a lever near the'seat which is operated by the drivers handor foot. This is objectionable as it interferes with his operation ofthe various treadles or the steering wheel and parts carried thereon, asthe case may be.

In the present invention the gate 5 is connected by a cord 8 with a rod9 secured to the armature 10 of a solenoid 11. A spring 13 may beinserted between the ends of the cord-t0 allow the gate 5 to yield toprevent the exhaust when too violent sounding a harsh 0r shrill note.The solenoid is inclosed in a casing 12 (Fig. 3) which may be securedbeneath the body of the car in any convenient position, as is shown inFig. 1 and one end of the casing is closed by a head 14 to which issecured a fixed core 15 and the other end is closed by a head 16 throughwhich the rod 9 passes. Some form of stuffing box is desirable topreventdust and water from entering the casing around the rod 9 and ithas been found most expedient to employ the construction shown in Fig. 3which avoids all excessive fric tion on the rod. A cover 17 of flexiblematerial, such as leather, is secured at its periphery, to the head 16by a ring 30, the

ed with a spring-switch 21 and with a second.

coil 22, which is in effect a continuation of the coil 20 but ispreferably made of wire of higheiresistance than that in the first coil.To the end of the solenoid is secured the springs\vitch 21 having itsfree end normallyin contact with a screw 23 carried by a bracket 31which is mounted on the'end of the solenoid. The end of the switch 21projects somewhat beyond the screw 23 so as to *beenga'ged by aninsulated -collar'24c which is secured to thearniature 10.- The otherpole of the battery 18 is connected'by a wire 25 with a push button 26and a-wire 27 leads from the push button to the end of the coil 22 andalso to the screw-23. The push button may be in any convenient-positionfor the driver but'is preferably mount ed in the rim of the steeringwheel so that he can operate the born without removing his hands fromthe wheel or his feet from the treadles. The push button and itsconnections with thehorn may, if desired, be used as an auxiliary to theusual lever control.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 4, it willbe seen that when thebutton 26 is first pushed to close the circuit, the current, assuming itto flow with the arrow through the wire 19, will then pass through thesole noid to the coil 20 and through the switch 21 and screw 23 to thewire 27 and back to the battery. The current will take this courserather than through the coil as it offers much less resistance. hen thearmature has moved a certain distance, which may be adjusted by means ofthe screw 23, the collar 24 breaks the contact between the switch 21 andthe screw 23. The current must then return through the coil 22, but onaccount of the higher resistance of this coil there will be a very smallfiow of current. The strength of the solenoid is proportionate to theampere turns and it is apparent that a strong pull will be exerted uponthe armature 10 when the circuit is first closed and the current isflowing through the coil 20 only. The pull exerted upon the armaturewill increase as the armature moves into the solenoid until the movementof the switch 21 breaks the circuit. This strong pull will overcome thetension of the spring '6 and through th medium of the cord 8 will closethe gate 5 thereby sounding the alarm. When the gate is in a closedposition less current is necessary to maintain it in that position thanis required for the operation of closing it and therefore the screw 23should be so adjusted that the circuit through the switch 21 v willbebroken just before the armature reaches the end of its movement and thehorn. will continueto .be soundedat a relatively small expense ofcurrentflowing through both "the coils .20 'and 22. Inorder to secure astronger pull'at the beginning of the inward movement of the armatureand therefore a moreeven pull throughout its movement, the end 'o'f'thecore 15"-is made liketH-Trustum of a cone and the adjacent end ofthe armature 10 is bored out to a correspondingsha'pa" Tli'is--wi-ll--re'sult in a more positive" action ofethe armature when the circuit-'is closedby "operating the ush button. W 1

Th'is' invention has'be'en deter-imam conn'ection' -"with' a gas'engineand a liornwhielr is rendered goperativeflby the movement of a gate. Itwill' be apparent to one skii-led in the art to which this inventionrelate's that the eXhausQir-omengines using-"other motive power than gasmayb mployed and that other forms of horns; inwhic'h' other arts or thehorn itselfare moved,"mayabe substt tuted for 'that'sho'vvn anddescribed. Other changes may 'als'o'bejmadein the form, charaote'r, and'relation of the parts without" de partin from the scope of tlieinveritionas defin in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A signaling device 'comprismg-a horn, mounted on the exhaust ipe'ofan internal combustion engine, time a movable part to operate it,-- incombination -w'ith a solenoid having a core oonnected 'wit-h themovablepart' of the horn, an -open circuit battery for 'energizing 'thesolenoid having two windings of unequal resis'tance,"and a cut-out shortcircuiting-one of the windings upon the closing of the energizingcircuit and operating to throw the winding'sfi'nto series when said corehas moved to a certain point, soas to decrease the amount of currentpassing from the battery automatically.

2. A signalingdevice comprising a horn mounted on the exhaust pipe of aninternal combustion engine, a solenoidal operating device forcontrolling said born, a battery for energizing thesolenoid, a normallyopen circuit connecting the solenoid and battery, said solenoid havingprovision for operating on the closing of the circuit to draw a largeamount of current supply from the battery and thereafter automaticallyto increase the resistance so as to reduce the amount of current passingfrom said battery.

3. A si aling device comprising a horn mounted in the exhaust pipe of anengine, and having a movable part to operate it, in combination with asolenoid of two unequal windings having a core connected with saidmovable part, a battery for energizing said nesses, this thetwenty-eighth day of June, solenoid and a spring situated between said1912. core and said movable part controlling and equalizing the amountof sound passing DONALD MCLEAN- 5 from said horn. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my JOHN F. Bnmy, hand in thepresence of two subscribing wit- LEON E. PROG'IOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

